Wegmans stops cigarette sales

Smoking is a major cause of cardiovascular disease, the nation's number one killer.

In fact, tobacco kills more than 440,000 Americans each year, and the same arsenic used in rat poison is found in cigarettes, as well as substances such as hydrogen cyanide, formaldehyde, benzene and ammonia.

That is why the American Heart Association applauds Wegmans Food Markets Inc. for its decision to stop the sale of tobacco products in all of their stores.

The popular supermarket chain will officially end the sale of tobacco on Feb. 10; however, since no new stock has been ordered, most stores expect to run out of cigarettes and tobacco long before then.

In a letter to employees mailed this week, the company's top executives, Danny and Colleen Wegman, said the ban is a logical move for Wegmans.

"As a company, we respect a person's right to smoke, but we also understand the destructive role smoking plays in health," the Wegmans wrote to employees, who were also offered a free smoking-cessation program.

In Buffalo, the American Heart Association has enjoyed a strong relationship with Wegmans, which includes its Buffalo Region Consumer Affairs Manager, Ann McCarthy, serving as the 2007 chair of the Go Red for Women Luncheon.